The Haiku: why I personally feel the 3S lights have surpassed the PD lights

[nbp]

js- I will attempt to collect some links to important Haiku threads if you are interested in putting them in your OP. Others are welcome to assist. This is as good a thread as is likely to be written to compile documentation on the merits of this most capable light.

Between you and McGizmo, this is indeed as excellent a thread as I have read in a long time, with a great deal of insight and thought put into the ideas presented. Well done brothers. :thumbsup:

 

[McGizmo]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

nbp,
Thanks and I am flattered at your interest but I think you are asking me to blow my own horn and I reckon it would be difficult for me to come up with a tune representative of my atypical history and the notes that would come forth would likely have everyone headed for the door, post haste! :green:

I will say though that when you don't know better and haven't been schooled on a matter you might well succeed with an idea that those who know better would advise against. I have always like to tinker and modify and create but no one ever recognized this or channeled my energies when I was a real student. Nor was I self aware of my aptitudes back then to the extent that I questioned what it was that I studied or what I was planning to be when I grew up. I haven't been forced to grow up and I haven't, but the years have passed none the less. I have been fortunate in knowing and knowing of some guys who were high school and college dropouts who found their own paths in discovery and brought new and cool stuff to the rest of us. I know I have said it before here in the forum but I am a believer in Yankee Ingenuity. At an impressionable age I was exposed to the story of the engine that thought it could and I bought into it. I am basically self taught in areas of interest to me and have been willing and fortunate enough to explore these areas. A good friend and co-worker in a boat yard once described me as a gizmologist and I think he hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately to this day I have not seen any courses offered, at any level, in gizmology. You pretty much have to sort it out on your own and there is probably no better or more satisfying way. We have all heard that if the shoe fits.... Well I say if the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it. You can travel a path bare footed and really learn a lot more with feet on it. There is nothing like hands on experience but we also have feet and can walk a path of our chosing or make our own path for that matter.

I saw a quote the other day that went something like "You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf". Some how I think that applies to my life experience and more important, worth trying to share with you guys. What I do and have done is only important to me. What you do is what matters to you. I think I am an example of reasonable success and certainly satisfaction gained from selecting my own waves and developing my own style in riding them.

 

[js]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

Don,

I think there are plenty of things more that we all are very interested in that you could talk about that do not, in any way, involve you "tooting your own horn". For example, how about Titanium?

You said that in the beginning of LED lights it was kind of a given that Titanium was unsuitable as a flashlight material, right? And yet now, you offer nothing but Ti lights, and many of us will only EDC Ti lights now. What changed? Is it because LED's got more efficient? Or more heat tolerant? That doesn't feel right to me, though . . . Or is it that the conventional wisdom at the beginning was simply wrong. In any case, what happened between then and when you offered your first production Ti lights? And tell us about your thoughts on Ti! I tried, in my LS20 thread, to convey that Titanium was perfectly suitable as a flashlight body material, and more, that it had definite advantages. But I didn't go into why Ti is a "high end" material--and ends up making the final light a lot more expensive. Part of it is obviously just material cost: Ti is at least 10 times more expensive than the highest grade aluminum from what I can tell (is this right?). But more than that, there is the machining, right? It's slow to make Ti parts vs. aluminum. A machine shop can't just crank out 1,000 Ti light bodies in a day, can they? TELL US about it! I mean, is this why there are almost no other manufacturers offering Ti lights? SureFire had the Titan CR2 light for a while and it was considered insanely expensive, as I recall. What would a SureFire version of the Haiku cost, do you think?

It seems to me that we all are VERY lucky to be able to get our hands on ANY Titanium lights at all, and that on top of that, we are also getting them from you at, frankly, bargain prices. I know some might consider this statement to be NUTS, given that your lights all cost north of $400, but I'm pretty sure I'm right about this.

Do you think you could comment about all this? I don't want you to toot your own horn, but, by the same token I like to see credit given where credit is due!

(Oh, and on that score, I should mention that Don is the one who gave me the idea to use Jewelers round nose pliers as the best tool to install and remove the McClickie switches.)

 

[fyrstormer]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

It is also nice to be able to keep them looking brand new with a white Scotch Bite Pad in just a few minutes.

Not strictly relevant, but I prefer to use 800-grit emory paper for automotive paint, followed by some Dremel red polishing rouge rubbed onto a paper towel. Each one is twisted around the circumference of the light, to maintain circumferential striations like the original machining marks. This produces a much smoother and shinier finish than a Scotch Brite pad produces. Notably, my approach causes water to drip off the titanium instead of adhering to it, which means that skin oil and skin cells will also be less likely to adhere.

 

[fyrstormer]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

fyrstormer - calling the PD a great novelty light is a little cruel. I don't agree with the statement for a few reasons. 1) I barely use the PD and rather use it as a head twisty. Thus no tired thumbs. 2) There is no way with the Haiku you can guarantee you always start on low. The PD always has a nice low start w/o clicking through levels. 3) With the Haiku you have to cycle through levels. With the PD you can run on low and then just tap the PD for a burst of Hi at any time (a nice feature that Henry has integrated into the UI of the HDS lights).

I very much like my McLux3-T, which I have recently discovered a new appreciation for, but my "real" PD lights don't get used much these days. I actually consider it a bad thing when a light doesn't remember the setting I last used; I rarely want my light to start on a different setting than I last used, and on the rare occasion I do need to start on the lowest setting, I can always cover the light with my hand while I change modes.

I like progressive-twisty lights because they give me the flexibility to quickly select the brightness I want and they don't blind me the instant I turn them on. A clicky interface is faster for turning on at a moment's notice, but slower for selecting brightness, especially if it doesn't remember the mode I used previously. The progressive-twisty interface is faster on-average when I combine both use-cases together, which is why my primary EDC uses a control ring + a clicky switch, my backup EDC is a progressive twisty, and my second-backup is a single-mode twisty.

So yes, I do like the progressive-twisty interface on PD lights. When I said PD lights are novelty lights nowadays, I was referring to the additional momentary-on capability, which is occasionally handy but I almost never use anymore, not least because the forward-clicky in the Haiku (and other similar lights) offers the same momentary capability, even if not the same capability for pressure-sensitive brightness.

 

[fyrstormer]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

So, I wanted to add a quick bit about removing and installing the McClickie switch. The most important thing to note is that the switch has to be turned down TIGHT or you might experience some erratic behavior from the converter. The spring force is constantly pushing back on the switch body, trying to push the contact ring off the shelf it is electrically conducting through. So if it's not good and tight, you might end up with intermittent contact there, which can sometimes cause the converter to shift levels when you don't want it to (don't ask me how I know this, hehe). The fix, of course, is simple: turn the switch in good and hard.

Yes, and the brass C-series McClicky adaptor suffers greatly in some lights because the switch is only press-fit into the adaptor, instead of being screwed-in like in McGizmo lights. That allows it to wiggle around a tiny bit and cause connectivity issues. In the past I've had to superglue the switch into the adaptor to prevent this, which is a...sub-optimal...solution. That of course does not affect McGizmo lights directly, but it popped into my mind when I read this post.

Unfortunately, the two holes 1/2" apart isn't a common sort of connector scheme! Initially, I used snap-ring pliers but I ended up having them slip out of the holes and gouge the switch body a bit. Not functionally a problem, but exactly the sort of thing I prefer to avoid. So today I went to a local craft store (AC Moore) and bought some round-nose jewelry making pliers. These ones, to be exact (Beadalon 201P-114):

Amazon: Beadalon 201P-114

Those look nice, better than the cheap ones I got at the local craft store. Small needle-nose pliers also work, though.

 

[fyrstormer]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

I will say though that when you don't know better and haven't been schooled on a matter you might well succeed with an idea that those who know better would advise against.

Ain't that the truth. Though there is definitely something to be said for going back later on and trying to figure out why an unconventional solution worked so well. (not suggesting you don't do that, just adding my two cents.)

I have always liked to tinker and modify and create but no one ever recognized this or channeled my energies when I was a real student. Nor was I self aware of my aptitudes back then to the extent that I questioned what it was that I studied or what I was planning to be when I grew up. I haven't been forced to grow up and I haven't, but the years have passed none the less. I have been fortunate in knowing and knowing of some guys who were high school and college dropouts who found their own paths in discovery and brought new and cool stuff to the rest of us.

See, this is what makes your personal history interesting to me. I was forced to mature at an accelerated pace in certain aspects of my personality, one of which was figuring out what I was going to use my 99th Percentile brain for when I grew up, and from the moment I first laid hands on a copy of QuickBASIC I knew I was going to be a computer programmer. Circumstance may have caused me to stumble into a software engineering program that contained far more planning and design than I'd expected, and serendipity may have resulted in me enjoying the planning and design more than the programming itself, but it's still software development at its core, which is right where I expected to be. I even work in the same city I expected to end up in. I have no idea what it's like to wander around the sum of human experience and say "hmm, that looks interesting, I think I'll make a career out of that for a few years." In a way it seems like living multiple lifetimes in quick succession. A detailed description of what that experience is like would be fascinating to someone like me who pretty much knew from the outset what they were going to do with their life.

A good friend and co-worker in a boat yard once described me as a gizmologist and I think he hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately to this day I have not seen any courses offered, at any level, in gizmology. You pretty much have to sort it out on your own and there is probably no better or more satisfying way.

"Gizmologist" -- I like it. I modify almost everything I own; can I have a degree in gizmology?

 

[nbp]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

Don,

While I hardly believe that an objective discussion of your work, written by you, qualifies as blowing your own horn, I also appreciate the modesty and humility with which you go about your work and your expressions in regards to it. And to choose how much or little to divulge to, well, essentially strangers, is indeed wholly within your right. I can't say that I am not a bit disappointed though at the unlikeliness of the publishing of "Don McLeish: A Gizmo Story" or some such entertaining and enlightening work. Perhaps a series of short essays on some of your past work and design philosophies, much as js suggested above, would/could be an idea for the future. I know I would enjoy reading them. In the meantime, I will continue to peruse your many threads here, and post questions where appropriate. Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Dog Chaser]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

JS,

You asked about Don's transition to Ti. I happened upon this thread and it seems to address your question.

Not that it is anyone's business but I have a few reasons I am concentrating on Ti.

1) It is the material of choice for me and I get to get the light that I personally want.
2) Although there is better profit margins in the Al lights, there is still a greater dollar per light return on the Ti and time is a consideration that many don't consider. I can only assemble so many lights in a day by myself! :green: It takes the same amount of time to build a Ti light as an aluminum one.
3) Minimum qty's on Al are much higher and require more time as well as space to process as a group. You need to stock more LED's, optics, converters and all the other components. To take advantage of an ecomnomy of scale, you need to be able to perform in a reasonable time frame at that scale and the market needs to support such a scale. Although an Al light may be almost half the price of a Ti light from me, there are only so many people interested in spending in excess of $200 for a light!
4) When I decided to go Ti over a year ago, it seemed like a nice niche that would work well at my production scale and it also seemed to have "clear air" about it. I didn't anticipate the additional players in the Ti realm or their proximity to designs I am familiar with.
5) I really think this year will see a flood of new technology and the flood waters will be murky with much confusion for those out and about. I would like to find some high ground and hope to be kept from getting swept away.
I think the shoppe as well as other individuals will bring new and cool stuf to the Aleph or E platform next year. Whether the market will support any and all of these efforts remanins to be seen. :shrug: There are worse thing that can happen to a flashaholic than getting stuck with a bunch of flashlights. If I get stuck, I prefer them to be Ti! :nana:

Complete thread: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-the-Aleph-Program&highlight=mcgizmo+quit+cpf

 

[js]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

Thanks Dog Chaser! But I still want to hear from Don! There's always more to know, and even hearing the same thing twice from the same person usually gives you more information the second time around, or a different perspective. Plus, some of my questions remain unanswered even so.

 

[nfetterly]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

ARRRGGGGGGG.....

I was just getting on to post how wonderful my Ti PD and Al PD neutral XM-L upgrades were when I see this!!! I'll have to sit down and read the whole thread - I just got started and went nuts. In summary - Don's lights are just great (although I do find the Ti Mule a little short for my hand) - here's the relevant part of my history;

Have to say I've read js's length reviews before and they are worth reading, well thought out, well written.

Al Mule - WOW - my first custom light...
Buy Ti PD-S mizer (with AOTH holester) - FANTASTIC
Buy Haiku...., too much in love with PD drive, sell Haiku (not giving it a chance)
BB Haiku comes out, okay - looks too damn good, I buy it again (shallow I know)
Fall in love with Haiku & 3S converter.....
Get PD's upgrades back today (new XM-L LE for my oil-slick mule will be coming shortly...)

Get Al PD (HAIII (re)coated) & Ti PD upgrades with neutral XM-Ls (both of them have relatively modest power bumps, 750 & 1000 mA (damn Molson XXX before supper - hope I got that right) by one of the masters who is getting back into modding, received today, put batteries in ~1 hour ago - FANTASTIC & I sign on and see this.

crap crap crap - well the Ti PD XM-L is going into industrial site tomorrow, I know I won't be disappointed.

I'll have to read the whole thread, which I should have done anyway. I apologize for that.

 

[nbp]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

Instead of working at work tonight, I'm doing this. :devil:

Here are some great Haiku love threads and technical discussions I tracked down. They are certainly not all the threads written on the Haiku, but a few that stood out to me as being particularly helpful or passionate. :kiss: If others find threads they feel are worth adding to this compendium, I hope they post them. Let's make this a one-stop-shop for Haiku fans and potential buyers. :rock:

~js~ Perhaps you could add our links to your OP if you feel that would be acceptable. I defer to your judgement on how you would like to organize/sort them. Thanks buddy.


High CRI Nichia 119 Haiku is ASTONISHINGLY GOOD!!

A McGizmo Haiku XP-G review...is this the new standard for EDC Lights? You decide!

Haiku Batteries. Which Do You Use? Primaries or Rechargables?

Haiku/Makai Animated Beam Comparisons

Trial by fire: Haiku from the ashes

McGizmo Haiku - An Ideal EDC- An Essay

5 McGizmo Beamshot Review

Haiku XP-G Runtimes?

McGizmo Haiku XP-G Finishes Comparison

I love my Haiku more and more!!

Your Thoughts on Ti Haiku

 

[kaichu dento]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

Instead of working at work tonight, I'm doing this. :devil:

~js~ Perhaps you could add our links to your OP if you feel that would be acceptable.


High CRI Nichia 119 Haiku is ASTONISHINGLY GOOD!!

A McGizmo Haiku XP-G review...is this the new standard for EDC Lights? You decide!

Haiku Batteries. Which Do You Use? Primaries or Rechargables?

Haiku/Makai Animated Beam Comparisons

Trial by fire: Haiku from the ashes

McGizmo Haiku - An Ideal EDC- An Essay

5 McGizmo Beamshot Review

Haiku XP-G Runtimes?

McGizmo Haiku XP-G Finishes Comparison

I love my Haiku more and more!!

Your Thoughts on Ti Haiku

Since this thread has already been 'Stickied', this list of links would be a great addition to the OP!

 

[js]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

OK. I added the list of threads to the OP! Great list! Thanks nbp!

 

[McGizmo]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

js,

You might also want to add in a link to bmstrong's current thread on revisiting the Classic PD. (I don't know about you guys but it's times like these that I really miss Bernie!)

Back to the subject of the 3S McClickie lights and specifically the new 3S buck/boost converter I am using, a quirk in its nature has just come to my attention which I want to disclose. At this point I don't pretend to understand what is happening but it wouldn't surprise me if I never gain a good grasp on it. One of you recently purchased a Haiku XM-L from me and contacted me about the light flickering. I responded that this was not right or typical and requested the light be returned so I could identify the problem and rectify the situation.

I anticipated that the problem would be obvious and that worse case simply replacing the light engine would bring about a solution.

Knowing that I was looking for a flicker I was able to discern it but only after setting the light down so it was not moving and removing any other light in the room so I could concentrate solely on it. I wouldn't call what I saw a flicker. I could see what I would call a cyclic pulse in the intensity. This is something I had not noticed in working with this latest version of converter but in my defense it is not that obvious or blatant, at least in my perception. I also realized that this might not be unique to just this particular light and it's not. I built a couple more XML-LE's and confirmed that they too display this behavior. I am confident now that this artifact in intensity is inherent in the nature of the converter and possibly the programing of its control chip.

I put one of the XM-L LE's in a Mule head and introduced it to my integrating sphere. I had the spectrometer software log the flux (lumens) with no averaging and scan sampling taken at 50 millisecond intervals. In graphing the flux on the y axis you can see basically a straight line and then a time segment where there is a flat sine wave repeating a number of times and then back to straight. In the sample tested, the low in the sine wave was about 178 lumens and the high around 185 lumens and the interval from low to high was around a third of a second to a half second in duration.

I suspect that this artifact in intensity variation is a result of the converter compensating for change in heat and Vf but I will need to pass this information on through to the designer of the converter in hopes of getting a more informed answer and hopefully something I can understand. :duck:

At any rate, I believe in all fairness and in the spirit of full disclosure I believe this quirk should be identified as a potential con as regards the buck/boost converter. In real use I would imagine this artifact would be viewed as a non issue for the most part but if the light is held steady and one concentrates on the beam and not what is being illuminated, it is apparent. I think my choice in words of calling it an artifact is appropriate here but that's just my opinion and perception.

This quirk with the new 3S converter just came to light for me last night. I took a close look at a Nichia 119 LE using the same converter and was not able to detect any pulse in intensity but I haven't subjected it to the integrating sphere to see if indeed it is present.

I suspect when the dust settles, this issue will be similar in nature to the PWM issue of the previous 3S converter in the sense that for some it is significant and for others, not at all.

If I could speak Japanese I might be able to converse directly with the converter designer and possibly be more informed and even appear intelligent in discussing the nature of this converter with you guys.

 

[nbp]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

Thanks js! I think that is a good start for some light reading for anyone considering a Haiku. Nice.

I can't help but get the feeling after all this discussion that I should really have more than one Haiku for some reason. I am getting the itch for a Nichia 119 version...and that I believe uses a different reflector than the XP-G, so I need two heads...and if I need two heads I might as well get two full lights so I don't have to switch around. :sigh: Not this month, already spent too much, but maybe in the future. Problem is that I am running out of lights I don't mind selling to fund more purchases. :scowl: Can you sell a McGizmo if you promise to spend the money on another McGizmo?

 

[js]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

This quirk with the new 3S converter just came to light for me last night. I took a close look at a Nichia 119 LE using the same converter and was not able to detect any pulse in intensity but I haven't subjected it to the integrating sphere to see if indeed it is present.

I just spent too long staring at the high beam of my High CRI Haiku and damned if I can see any change in brightness. I'll be interested to hear what the integrating sphere measurements reveal. And what the designer says about this. If it isn't happening with the 119 according to the sphere measurements, it will be very interesting to know why it happens with the XM-L but not the 119 (assuming we/you/he can figure this out, of course!)

I added the thread you mentioned to the OP, Don.

 

[js]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

Thanks js! I think that is a good start for some light reading for anyone considering a Haiku. Nice.

I can't help but get the feeling after all this discussion that I should really have more than one Haiku for some reason. I am getting the itch for a Nichia 119 version...and that I believe uses a different reflector than the XP-G, so I need two heads...and if I need two heads I might as well get two full lights so I don't have to switch around. :sigh: Not this month, already spent too much, but maybe in the future. Problem is that I am running out of lights I don't mind selling to fund more purchases. :scowl: Can you sell a McGizmo if you promise to spend the money on another McGizmo?

We could always do a swap for a week. Maybe. Just a thought.

 

[js]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

Knowing that I was looking for a flicker I was able to discern it but only after setting the light down so it was not moving and removing any other light in the room so I could concentrate solely on it. I wouldn't call what I saw a flicker. I could see what I would call a cyclic pulse in the intensity. This is something I had not noticed in working with this latest version of converter but in my defense it is not that obvious or blatant, at least in my perception. I also realized that this might not be unique to just this particular light and it's not. I built a couple more XML-LE's and confirmed that they too display this behavior. I am confident now that this artifact in intensity is inherent in the nature of the converter and possibly the programing of its control chip.

I put one of the XM-L LE's in a Mule head and introduced it to my integrating sphere. I had the spectrometer software log the flux (lumens) with no averaging and scan sampling taken at 50 millisecond intervals. In graphing the flux on the y axis you can see basically a straight line and then a time segment where there is a flat sine wave repeating a number of times and then back to straight. In the sample tested, the low in the sine wave was about 178 lumens and the high around 185 lumens and the interval from low to high was around a third of a second to a half second in duration.

I suspect that this artifact in intensity variation is a result of the converter compensating for change in heat and Vf but I will need to pass this information on through to the designer of the converter in hopes of getting a more informed answer and hopefully something I can understand.

At any rate, I believe in all fairness and in the spirit of full disclosure I believe this quirk should be identified as a potential con as regards the buck/boost converter. In real use I would imagine this artifact would be viewed as a non issue for the most part but if the light is held steady and one concentrates on the beam and not what is being illuminated, it is apparent. I think my choice in words of calling it an artifact is appropriate here but that's just my opinion and perception.

Don,

So, after re-reading your post and running the numbers, it is my strong suspicion that this quirk or artifact is something that is pretty minor! I mean, obviously, I haven't experienced it myself, but a change from 178 to 185 lumens is only a change of 4 percent! And, you yourself couldn't even notice this until you set the light down so it wasn't moving and turned off all other illumination. Clearly this is something you would never notice in actual use! I mean, the 119 has a noticeable dark ring on the outside of the beam profile on a white wall, but it's never something I can notice in actual use. Same goes for the SunDrop. And these artifacts are CLEARLY noticeable.

I applaud your practice of letting all of us know this sort of thing right up front and as soon as you yourself know about it, Don. Bravo for that! However, I also wanted to put this in context. It's not like the light suddenly drops from full intensity to zero! I mean, if you took a beamshot of the high point (185) and one of the low (178) and put them side by side, I doubt very much that anyone would be able to tell them apart! And if this is happening over 1/3 second or something . . . well, really, it just CAN'T be very noticeable! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't notice it, and if I did, that I wouldn't care. But, yes, good for potential buyers to know about this issue up front! Personally, it wouldn't worry me in the least if I were considering getting an XM-L Haiku. Everyone's mileage will vary, of course.

 

[fyrstormer]

Re: The Haiku: why the 3S McClickie lights have surpassed the PD lights!

Don, based on your description of the intermittent sinewave pattern, it does sound like the circuit is periodically re-testing a range of voltages to determine the ideal one for the current conditions. There is a similar behavior in the GDuP drivers I installed in a few Lunasol lights, where significant changes in ambient temperature will cause the light to blink, adjust its brightness, and blink again the next time it's turned on. It doesn't re-test itself repeatedly while on, though, only once at the beginning. It's actually an incredibly useful feature and it allows me to install the drivers into a light regardless of which kind of emitter it has; if I could reprogram the current settings on my own, I'd just buy a batch of the drivers and never worry about finding a good driver again, just keep re-using the ones I have.

Most likely the drivers you already have could be flashed with new software to remove the repeated re-testing if desired, or at least reduce the frequency to once a minute or something else more reasonable than once every few seconds, but only your vendor can say for sure.